Feeling down because you haven't heard back about the new job you applied for? Perhaps you have applied for many and haven't heard back. There could be a handful of reasons why the employer decided to go another route. It could be anything from deciding to fill that position with somebody internally, to not enough funds available to pay a new employee after all. Worse case scenario: your resume contained something that caused the employer to remove you from the list of viable applicants. Here you will find three issues that the experts at our resume writing service find on a regular basis. We have some advice that will give you that extra push to stay ahead of other applicants.
1. Grammar Mistakes and Typos on Your Resume and Cover Page
Having avoidable mistakes on your resume could cost you many job offers. With our current job market, the sheer number of applicants has risen the competitive edge. You need to be on your A-game in this market. Have someone else proofread your documents after reviewing it yourself. Better yet, go to a resume writing service to triple check. It's normal for people to make mistakes, but you don't want your first impression to be full of errors or make the recruiter suspect you lack attention to detail. One of the biggest grammar errors on resumes is writing homophones. These are the words that have different spellings and meanings but sounds the same (there, they're, and their). Pay special attention to these. If you misuse too many, your reader will come to the conclusion that they can't trust your level of professionalism overall.
2. Meaningless and Unnecessary Information
There is such a thing as valuable resume real estate. Skip adding unnecessary phrases, or in other words, phrases that recruiters hate seeing on resumes. Some examples of these are "go-getter," "team player," and "hard worker." These are words that are often used by applicants and can bore anybody reading your resume. Use more strong and simple action verbs such as "trained" and "achieved." In addition, focus on specific accomplishments and job experiences related to the job you are applying for. You don't want the employer to think you are applying for a large volume of jobs.
3. Missing Information on the Resume
All to often, many applicants don’t prepare all the info that a prospective employer want to see. This can include references. Besides getting help from a resume writing service, to make it to the next step, you have to have more than just your employment history. Make sure to include some good references who will advocate for you and validate the info on your resume. This is just another to show employers the real you, thus improving the chances of getting hired. Another significant gap on resumes is the employment gap. Recruiters will notice if you have had long periods of time between jobs and may raise questions. Having said that, it is best to explain these gaps with a simple sentence and date. For instance: Full time student 2012-2014.
These are just a few of common errors found in resumes. Now, should you consider hiring a resume writing service? Do your research on different companies and read online reviews from people that have hired their services. At El Paso Professional Resumes, we will help you effectively showcase your skills to recruiters and increase the chances of you getting an interview. We are made up of a team of professional resume writers and we truly enjoy seeing excellent applicants breakthrough the screening process. Our clients typically end up with an interview one to three weeks after visiting our office. Give us a call today to get started with your personalize quote.